


Back to Normality?

by thetypingsiren



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alex wanting to join in, Caleb is hades, Caleb possessing Nick, Jealous Luke, Julie giving Luke a taste of his own medicine, Multi, Possessed Nick, Reggie's flirting actually working, dramatic Hercules vibes, flustered luke, flynn and reggie have ... a m o m e n t, guess who's coming to the rescue?, it's Alex of course because he's hercules, no one believes luke, willie is meg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:33:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27195167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetypingsiren/pseuds/thetypingsiren
Summary: 'I just want to see you and Nicky happy, that’s all,’ Luke said, leaning back from her stare. Julie was silent for a moment, staring back at him so intently that it seemed as though she were attempting to look straight into his brain and figure out what was going on. Luke took another step back.‘Well then,’ Julie said, finally looking away from him and at the other boys. ‘That’s good because he’s asked me out.’After their performance at the Orpheum, Nick, being possessed by Caleb, asks Julie out on a date again and she says yes, but Luke is the only one who senses something is wrong. Meanwhile, Reggie and Flynn get closer and Alex searches for Willie.
Relationships: Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn/Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 33
Kudos: 156





	1. Luke gets Jealous and Reggie gets Friendly

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this story is partially inspired by this tumblr post: https://and-reggie.tumblr.com/post/630879876328652800/something-i-thinkwant-to-happen-in-season-2
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

Life was somewhat ordinary that fine Sunday morning. It was the day after the band’s performance at the Orpheum and things really seemed to be looking up for Julie and the boys; they hadn’t died, for a start, which had to be a good thing; Caleb seemed to be rid from their lives, and they could all now touch each other. The last one actually was a source of a lot of … _thinking_ on Julie’s part last night when she’d eventually gone up to bed.

Yet, that aside, after that particular evening, that would probably remain in all of their heads for the foreseeable future, things had slowly begun to get back to normality for Julie Molina.

Well, however normal things can be if you’re part of a ghost band.

Yet, that particular day, she opted to have as normal a day as possible; her dad and Carlos were both out at one of his football games and then were going out for dinner to either celebrate or cheer him up so she had the whole house to herself. She had decided already to relax with the guys most of the day, and then to come back and have time alone.

As she made her way downstairs, she found the kitchen already full, the boys milling about, obviously having been waiting for her. Luke looked in the fridge hopefully, wondering if since they could touch Julie, they might be able to eat as well, while Reggie circled the kitchen island chatting about a country song he thought they could try adding some drums to, Alex listening with a smirk from his spot on the kitchen counter, his legs dangling off the floor.

‘Ah,’ Julie said, jumping at the sight of them, smiling. ‘Good morning.’

There was a chorus of ‘ _Morning Julie_ ’ in return.

‘Sorry if we made you jump,’ Luke said, finally closing the fridge door. ‘We didn’t want to come into your room and cross some _boundaries_.’ He raised his eyebrows as she shook her head.

‘Whatever,’ Julie replied as she got tipped some cereal into a bowl, too happy that they were still here to care about Luke’s snarky comments. ‘You guys wanna rehearse for the day?’

‘Sounds good,’ Reggie replied as the other two nodded. ‘Where’s your dad and brother though? We thought we’d see them this morning.’ Julie noticed Reggie seemed slightly put out about not having seen either of them but didn’t say anything, not wanting to embarrass him.

‘Carlos has a football game, and then they all have lunch in the place next door. So, they’ll be gone until this afternoon –‘

Julie, mid-way through talking and pouring milk into her bowl stopped short as the doorbell rang. Quickly, she put the milk back in the fridge and wandered towards the door, surprised at who she found on the other side.

‘Hi, Nick,’ she said with a smile. Nick stared back transfixed, flowers in his hands and she smiled at the kind gesture. ‘Ah, thanks.’

‘Just, uh, wanted to congratulate you on your performance yesterday,’ He replied with a toothy grin. Julie smiled in reply.

‘Look I know you said no the other day,’ Nick said and Julie’s heartrate sped up. He wasn’t going to ask _again_ was he? ‘But if you’d just give me a chance; I promise to treat you right.’ He gestured towards the dahlia’s.

‘Uh,’ Julie began, trying to process what Nick had actually just said and wondering how to let him down easily again. ‘Nick –‘

‘Just, think about it.’ Nick grinned again a strange grin as he leaned over to tuck a stray hair back behind her ear. Julie’s eyes widened and she stood stock still, wondering what was going on before he stepped back, waving goodbye.

***

Luke stood transfixed on the back of Julie’s head and _Nick’s_ smug face as he handed her something that he couldn’t quite see.

‘Who is that?’ Alex asked, jumping down from the counter to stand next to Luke, hands stuffed in his pockets.

‘It’s that guy from Julie’s school; they duetted for dance class and he _totally_ likes her,’ Luke replied, still transfixed on the back of the guy’s head, standing on his tip-toes as if that would give him the ability to hear what was going on.

‘Wonder why he’s here then,’ Reggie said absent-mindedly. Luke stopped looking at the door to glare at him.

‘Uh,’ Alex said, and that was enough to make Luke’s head whip around once more only to see him tucking a hair behind her ear.

‘ _What_ is happening?’ Luke asked, horrified.

‘Well, you see, Nick’s come to see Julie, probably to ask her out on a da–‘ Reggie stopped at the slap on his arm from Alex.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Julie was closing the door and, to his horror, she turned to face them all once again and Luke’s eyes immediately drifted to the thing Nick had brought her.

‘Oh shit,’ chorused Reggie and Alex.

_Flowers_. He had brought her _flowers_.

That wasn’t a friendly thing; friends didn’t get friends flowers. Well, he wouldn’t mind some flowers from the boys, but _still_. Nick liked Julie and had brought her flowers to get her to go out with him.

_I want to be the one to bring Julie flowers_.

‘Well,’ Luke said, as Julie made her way into the kitchen, preparing herself for the incoming storm. Isn’t this just _too_ cute. And _flowers_ as well? He must have it bad for you, Jules.’ Alex and Reggie shared a knowing look; the irony of Luke suggesting someone other than him having it bad for Julie was almost too much to handle.

‘He just came over to congratulate me on last night’s show,’ Julie said, giving him a small scowl as she placed the flowers in a vase and put them on the kitchen counter.

‘Oh! He liked the show? What _else_ must he like? Why don’t you just marry him _now_?’ Luke said sarcastically.

Julie seemingly decided to ignore him, choosing to organise the flowers in the vase, instead.

‘They’re lovely flowers, Julie,’ Alex said, leaning on the counter and looking at them fondly, always a sucker for romance.

‘Yeah, and he knew they were your favourites, too,’ Reggie said, smiling. Luke scoffed and Julie finally looked over at him.

‘Something to say?’ she asked, folding her arms over her chest as she shot Luke one of her most dangerous looks.

‘Anyone could know _that_ , Jules,’ Luke replied. _I would know that if I got you flowers._ ‘But if you think that makes Nick special then maybe you should do something about it. You obviously have feelings for him, putting his flowers in pride of place.’ He gestured around grandly to the kitchen, not entirely sure what was coming out of his mouth but talking seemed to be helping the monstrous feeling in his stomach and the idea of Nick’s slow and painful death.

‘What has gotten into you?’ Julie asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

‘Me? Nothing, I just want to see you and _Nicky_ happy, that’s all,’ Luke said, leaning back from her stare. Julie was silent for a moment, staring back at him so intently that it seemed as though she were attempting to look straight into his brain and figure out what was going on. Luke took another step back.

‘Well then,’ Julie said, finally looking away from him and at the other boys. ‘That’s good because he’s asked me out.’

‘Oh shit,’ Alex and Reggie said together again, both looking to-and-fro from Julie and Luke as though they’d be fit to have popcorn in their hands. Luke’s eyes widened; the monstrous feeling was not going away any time soon.

‘H-he … he asked you out?’ Luke asked, needing confirmation as he stepped towards her once more. ‘Like on a date?’

‘Mhm,’ Julie said, her hands on her hips in triumph. ‘I was going to say no, actually, but you know what, you’re right, Luke.’

‘I am?’ Luke replied, horrified.

‘Yeah, he obviously likes me a lot, and he wants to treat me right,’ Julie said, nodding, clearly enjoying his reaction. ‘So why not?’

‘ _Treat you right_?’

‘But, of course, you’re okay with all this because, what was it?’ She stood, pretending to think for a second before continuing, clicking her fingers as if she’d remembered. ‘You _just want to see me and Nicky happy,_ right?’

Reggie swallowed the lump in his throat and Alex’s eyes widened; neither wanting to stay but neither wanting to leave either. Luke drummed his fingers on the countertop as he wondered what to say in reply. He did want to see Julie happy; Nick on the other hand was different.

Wasn’t she happy with him? Him and the band?

‘Of … of course, yes, that’s what I said.’

‘Good!’ Julie said, smiling. ‘I’m glad you’re all happy for me.’

Rehearsal that day was not nearly as productive as usual. Though Luke seemed resigned to the idea of Julie going on a date with Nick now that the shock had worn off, that didn’t mean he still wasn’t adoring the idea of throwing the dahlias he had bought Julie off a very high cliff.

Alex and Reggie kept exchanging glances with one another, wondering how long this torture would go on for and whether or not they wanted to stop it.

‘Right, so Flynn’s coming over later to talk about our next performance,’ Julie began, looking around at the boys as she sat at the piano. ‘So, I’m thinking we start on that song we’d been working on before the Orpheum and then show her when she gets here.’ There was a murmur of agreement and they all pulled out the sheet music.

The song was something they’d written before they’d died; a fun and lively one about a first date and it was possibly Julie’s favourite of their songs so far, being perfect for her range and allowing Alex a small solo, as well as a lot of moments when she and Luke could show off that chemistry everyone kept mentioning. Of course, Julie pretended to have nothing to do about it, but obviously it was part of performing with Luke, he just had that spark with everyone.

They’d practiced the particular song once before, before the boys had realised what those stamps had been all about and it had been totally electric; Luke and Julie’s voices moulding together to become one as they sang together and Alex’s voice coming out to star for the bridge, the smooth melody perfectly tailored to his style. Not only had it sounded good, but they’d enjoyed every second, all of them feeling the music completely through their veins like a drug.

Now, though, it was a different story.

Julie had hoped it would be even better than it had been before, after their performance at the Orpheum and that the knowledge that this would be continuing for the foreseeable future, that they could all be together for longer would stoke the fire even more.

That was not the case.

After Julie’s revelation about Nick this morning, Luke was cold towards her, not even daring to look her in the eye and it meant that rather than something electric, they got something awkward.

Julie stood at the moment when the boys came in to sing with Luke, but he merely strummed his guitar on the spot, neither getting up to sing their duet with one-another. Alex and Reggie raised their eyebrows at each other, all four of them praying for the end.

When it finally came, there was silence as Julie slowly got up from the piano and turned to Luke.

‘Okay, what was _that_?’ She asked, folding her arms across her chest to glare at Luke.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Luke said, swinging his guitar strap around so his guitar lay against his back. ‘Maybe _you_ were too distracted by your upcoming date.’ Alex and Reggie stepped back.

‘Oh no he didn’t,’ Alex said.

‘Low blow, dude,’ Reggie chimed in as Julie scoffed, shaking her head at Luke in disbelief after the utter disaster he’d made the song into.

‘You can’t be serious,’ she said, disbelieving. ‘You’re not really still on that? Can’t we just drop it?’

‘No, we can’t,’ Luke said in reply, not willing to share more. ‘Why would you want to anyway? Aren’t you looking _forward_ to it, Jules?’

‘I wasn’t even planning to say yes until you jumped at the chance to make fun!’ Julie said, her temper rising now as Luke stared back at her. ‘And you know what? I liked the attention and I liked the fact that other people can actually _see_ Nick.’

‘Guys!’ Flynn’s voice yelled from outside, breaking up the argument she didn’t even know was going on. The garage door opened and she slipped inside, vibrant and bubbly as ever. ‘So, I know I’m early, but I have band news!’

As she stopped speaking, she took in the look on Julie’s face and her eyebrows knitted together in suspicion.

‘Am I interrupting something?’ she asked.

‘Yes, thank god!’ Alex said, putting his drumsticks down as Luke’s eyes left Julie’s and Reggie moved to stand next to Flynn. 

‘Thank you, angel, for coming into our lives,’ Reggie said dramatically.

‘That’s - okay …’ Alex replied, uncomfortable as he sat watching the boy flirt with a girl who couldn’t even see him.

‘No, nothing, Flynn,’ Julie replied, momentarily side-tracked by Reggie’s antics.

‘Okay so,’ Flynn began, flipping her hair over her shoulder. ‘The guys are here right?’ She looked hopefully around the room and Julie had to hold back a giggle as she looked straight through Reggie who was waving at her.

‘Yes, they are,’ she said.

‘Okay, well could you get them to play quietly so this is … less weird?’

Reggie immediately began to play Luke’s impromptu guitar solo from Edge of Great and Flynn jumped before letting out a small chuckle.

‘This one’s funny,’ she said to Julie as he did a startlingly accurate impression of Luke from the garage party, sauntering over to Julie with what can only be described as puppy-dog eyes.

‘Tell your friends,’ Reggie said with a wink at Flynn who rolled her eyes in reply.

Luke, the real one, played a simple, quiet chord over and over again as Alex tapped his foot and the bass drum kicked in in the background, the two making Flynn jump for the second time as they both appeared.

‘Okay, so,’ Flynn began again as the boys listened, playing subconsciously. ‘First of all, there’s been a lot of feedback after your performance at the Orpheum.’ She pulled out her phone to show them the Youtube comments section. ‘I uploaded the video I recorded and it’s had millions of views and tons of comments already.’

‘That’s good right?’ Reggie asked, leaning over to look at Flynn’s phone.

‘It’s _great_!’ Julie said, taking Flynn’s phone from her and reading the comments.

‘So, that got us a _lot_ of publicity, and I’ve already had people calling to book you guys,’ Flynn continued.

‘Awesome!’ Alex said from his drum kit. ‘What are the options?’

‘Well, you didn’t hear it from me,’ Flynn began, taking her phone back from Julie and bestowing it in her back pocket, ‘but the school is holding a dance and want Julie and her Phantoms as the band. They haven’t told anyone yet because they wanted to make a big thing about you guys playing for it.’

‘A school dance?’ Luke said, unconvinced. ‘Wouldn’t that be kinda like … going backwards?’

‘There’s also a local wedding that needs a band,’ Flynn said, her hands on her hips.

‘And,’ Julie said, chiming in to fight the cause, ‘weren’t you the one who said that we should play every gig we get? Outside clubs … inside clubs … _book clubs_?’

Luke rolled his eyes, but a smirk rose up his face, his jealousy slowly subsiding as Julie grinned at him like that. How could anyone stay mad at this girl?

‘So when’s the dance, then?’ Luke said and Flynn clapped her hands together in reply, the others grinning at having won him over.

‘Next month, so you have plenty of time to organise a set list and rehearse.’

Interrupting their planning, Julie’s phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out to look at the screen; a message from Nick.

**_So, 7 tomorrow night at Angelo’s?_ **

Julie swallowed, taken aback by Nick’s sudden boldness and wondering if she still had to go through with what she’d said to the boys. Nick was great, sure, and she _had_ liked him for a long, _long_ time … but it was different now; she had her ghosts; she had Luke and their … interesting relationship.

‘What is it, Jules?’ Alex asked, noticing Julie’s sharp intake of breath.

Her head shot back up, taken out of her trance as she quickly stuffed her phone back into her pocket, deciding to feign nonchalance.

‘Nothing, nothing –‘

‘It’s _Nicky_ , isn’t it?’ Luke said with a false smile. ‘So what did he say? Asking you out again, is he?’ Flynn flipped around to face Julie.

‘Firstly, you told the guys about him asking you out at school?’ Flynn began, collecting herself. ‘ _Secondly_ , was the message from him?’

Julie put her head in her hands as the boys gathered around her, momentarily stopping their playing and disappearing from Flynn’s view as they realised that today hadn’t been the first time Nick had asked her to go on a date with him.

‘He’d asked you out _already_?’ Reggie asked, picking up his guitar again, not wanting Flynn to feel left out of the conversation.

‘And you’d said no?’ Luke asked, strumming happily again as a grin spread across his face. ‘I mean, why else would he ask again?’

‘Wait he asked _again_ today?’ Flynn added.

Julie was starting to get a headache.

‘Right, _yes_ , he asked me out before,’ Julie began, turning to each of the boys in turn. ‘And _yes_ , I said no. No, Flynn I hadn’t told them. And _yes_ , fine. The message was from him asking to meet me tomorrow night.’

She sighed as they all descended into silence. Thankfully, Reggie broke it as he turned to Flynn.

‘He also turned up this morning with _flowers_ ,’ he said with raised eyebrows and Flynn gasped, grinning.

‘ _Flowers_ , Jules?’ Flynn sighed, dreamily, pressing a hand to her heart and looking up to the ceiling. ‘What I wouldn’t give …’ She shook herself out of her daydream before rounding on Julie again. ‘So, tomorrow? What are you going to wear?’ She asked excitedly. Julie saw Luke turn away from them all.

‘Well, actually –‘

‘Can I help decide?’ Alex said, calling from his drum set hopefully.

‘Totally!’ Flynn said, excitement etched into her face. She and Alex seemed so happy that Julie didn’t have the heart to tell them she didn’t _really_ want to go. And, actually, she thought Luke’s reaction had proved a few things that she hadn’t had confirmed yet; _why not show him what he’s missing?_ ‘Come on then, Julie, we’ve got planning to do.’

And with that, she scooped Julie up and strode her out of the garage, gesturing for the quiet drummer to follow.

‘Well,’ Reggie said, filling the silence that had descended. ‘Flynn’s fun, eh?’

‘And here I was thinking Nick was too shy to do something like that,’ Luke said, ignoring Reggie and looking at the garage door where the girls and Alex had disappeared through.


	2. Standing on the Edge of the Piano Stool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Julie's first day back at school after playing at the Orpheum and things are not as she might have expected; everyone's asking her about the holograms and Nick's wanting to walk her to her classes. Things could not get stranger until her three ghosts turn up in the hallway and want to stay for the day. What can a girl do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your support! Here's the next chapter - I won't lie, I'm quite proud of it. Enjoy! :)

Julie hadn’t really considered what school would be like after their evening playing at the Orpheum but of everything she would have guessed it might be like, this was not it.

People kept coming up to her to talk about her performance and it was genuinely startling how many people had seen it already. Most hadn’t actually come to the Orpheum, although there were a few mentioning how _real_ the holograms looked from close up, but had seen the performance online and no wonder they had with _that_ many views. It seemed to be all Julie could see on her Instagram feed and her twitter was going crazy with people tweeting about it.

**@jackwilliams98**

**Just watched that hologram band’s video #JulieandthePhantoms and that shit is CRAZY. How do they work it?**

**@harrystylz4life**

**#JulieandthePhantoms**

**Julie and her lead guitarist tho?? They have what I want.**

In fact, a lot of the comments were either about how the holograms worked or Julie and her guitarist. She hoped to any and every god that Luke didn’t ever use social media.

And yet, with all the hype it had received, it hadn’t seemed to register that that would follow through into her _actual_ life. But it very much had. Teachers were talking to her in the halls about when she’d next be performing, fellow students were meeting her at her locker to ask her about how the holograms worked and some were even asking for photos with her, which she attempted to decline multiple times before deciding that it would just be easier to get it over with than to argue with people.

Her greatest fan that day, however, seemed to be Nick, who met her at her locker first thing in the morning. Leaning against the one next to hers, his blonde hair fanning his face, he looked up when she walked through the double doors, standing up straight to greet her.

‘Nick … Hi,’ Julie said awkwardly as she began opening her locker. ‘Long time no see.’ Nick chuckled in response and moved around her to lean against the locker on the other side. Perhaps it was him trying to win her over, but he seemed different; more confident; suave even. The doors behind him opened and Flynn wandered in, her eyes immediately meeting Julie’s. The other girl hoped that Flynn would come over and dissipate some of the awkwardness, even drive Nick away because it was way too early for this kind of talk, but Flynn just caught sight of the two of them and, missing the hint completely, gave Julie a thumbs up and walked straight past, obviously thinking she had wanted to be left alone.

‘Hi,’ Nick said in reply, grinning at her while she took her books out of her locker. ‘I’m looking forward to our date later.’ Julie laughed half-heartedly, hoping he’d take her awkwardness for nerves.

‘Yeah,’ Julie sighed, tucking a hair behind her ear. ‘Me too.’

This was _partly_ true. Was she looking forward to getting changed into the amazing outfit Flynn and Alex had picked out for her, accessories and all? _Yes_. Was she looking forward to seeing Luke’s face as she walked out of the house? _Yes_. Was she looking forward to spending some friendly time with Nick outside of school? _Absolutely_. But was she looking forward to the actual date?

In short; no.

What she wouldn’t have given to be here this time last year; Nick all over her, walking her to classes, taking her on a romantic date. But this wasn’t last year. Part of her – actually no, most of her – wanted to feel the same way for him as she had before; it would be so, _so_ easy to just date Nick, to have a normal first relationship. She could hold hands with him, go on normal dates, have a first kiss, even go to prom with him.

It would be so, _so_ easy.

Julie sighed at the thought. And yet, even when she was imagining the wonderful, _normal_ relationship she and Nick could have, the Nick in her dream warped into the vision of a tousle-haired guitarist with a hatred for sleeves. She didn’t actually like Nick, she liked the _idea_ of him, the idea of not having to pretend to be on the phone when talking to him in public, of introducing him to her dad, of not having to wonder if he was just suddenly going to disappear from her life.

Still, she was looking forward, somewhat, to their date, especially with him standing next to her, grinning; feeling like she was actually an ordinary girl for a moment. Then the boys appeared at the school doors behind him and that feeling quickly went out of the nearest window.

Her eyes widened at the sight of them all advancing towards her. Alex tried pulling them back, but neither were paying any attention so he soon followed behind, mouthing an apology that Julie couldn’t even read because Nick was saying something about their date.

‘… I’ve been there before, I think you’ll really like it,’ he said, not noticing her eyes wandering to something behind him. ‘So, shall I walk you to class?’

‘Uh huh, yeah I can’t wait,’ Julie mumbled as she gave the boys a death stare, still thinking he was talking about their date later. _Why couldn’t the boys just wait until I got home?_ Nick chuckled awkwardly, but took that as a sign to close her locker for her and lead her forward through the hallway. Julie, realising what he was doing stopped in her tracks for a moment before thinking (very quickly, she would add) on the spot.

‘Ah! Damn! I think I left my chemistry book at home,’ she said, knowing he didn’t actually have chemistry with her and so she wouldn’t have to pretend to actually be late. ‘You go on without me.’

‘But I –‘

‘I’ll see you in music!’ Julie said, already walking back towards the front doors and waving him goodbye. Glaring at the boys, she gestured for them to follow her outside where she leant on a bike rack and took out her phone.

‘What’s she doing? Julie what are you doing?’ Alex asked curiously, hands embedded deep into his jean pockets.

‘What am _I_ doing?’ Julie said, holding her phone up to her ear. This really was exhausting. ‘What are _you_ guys doing? You shouldn’t be here.’

‘She pretends she’s on the phone so she can talk to us without looking crazy,’ Luke explained to the others, who, by the look they gave him in return, had already figured that one out.

‘We were _bored_!’ Reggie exclaimed. ‘And high school is so exciting, can’t we stay?’ The boys gathered around in a group again, giving Julie puppy dog eyes. It was so much of a mix between endearing and weird that she had to let out a slight laugh; they smiled, taking that as a yes. She did actually quite like the idea of having them all there, like a weird, ghostly security blanket.

‘But you can’t be in my classes!’ Julie said, pointing a finger at them all and earning herself a concerned look from a passer-by. She let her hand drop back down to her side. She shot the boys a warning look, having not received their promise that they wouldn’t interrupt her studying.

‘Okay, fine,’ Luke said.

‘We promise.’

‘Cross my heart and hope to die,’ Reggie added, before, after a look from the others, ‘Again?’

Julie sighed and put her phone back in her bag, ready to pretend that she didn’t have ghosts following her round for the day.

***

When the boys had woken up that morning, they hadn’t necessarily _planned_ on going to Julie’s school, it had just sort of happened. Obviously, it wasn’t the first time they’d arrived unannounced, only _now_ they didn’t really have a good reason for being there other than boredom and missing going to school. Luckily, Julie had taken pity and allowed them to stay, meaning they had a whole day of … wandering the halls.

As they dropped Julie off at her chemistry class, the three stood outside in silence, staring at the door as they realised that this day might not be as fun as they had previously anticipated.

‘So,’ Alex began, looking around to the others. ‘What do we do now?’

A silence descended once more until:

‘Music department?’ Luke suggested and the other two agreed happily.

They didn’t all exactly know their way around the school; they recognised things here and there but it was mostly just a maze they had to find their way around. After about half an hour of searching for the music department and wondering if they’d be able to play in an abandoned room they heard noise coming from a room to their left in the hall.

Bustling to see what was going on, the three of them all raced to the door and peered through the tiny window. It seemed that Dirty Candy was getting in some early rehearsing on a Monday morning, each of them all in normal clothing and dancing to, what seemed to be, a new song. Alex watched intently before, giving the boys a grin, he vanished, appearing, as they had suspected, in the middle of the dance space. It wasn’t long before he was joining in with the choreography, watching the boys cheering him on from the corner of his eye. Knowing Alex was in capable hands, they waved and stood to go into one of the other rehearsal spaces.

‘I hope Alex actually gets to be a part of a Dirty Candy performance some time,’ Reggie said absent-mindedly as they wandered into a deserted classroom. A piano sat in the middle while guitars lined the walls, the perfect place to practice. Reggie and Luke, not knowing if they could touch other things now, looked sideways at each other before both placed their arms out in front of them. Their instruments briskly dropped into their hands and the two stumbled backwards at the new weight, not quite used to that just yet.

Chuckling to one another, they began to play; just a few different songs but soon they were lost in the moment with Now or Never. Reggie’s favourite moment had always been when he and Luke would sing together at his mic, the energy radiating from them always electric.

But then the bell went and Luke put down his guitar.

‘I’ll be back,’ he said noticing Reggie’s crestfallen expression. ‘I just wanna walk Julie to her next class … make sure she’s safe.’ He may have mumbled the last bit but Reggie heard it all the same and a knowing grin broke out on his face. Luke tossed him the finger before he left, disappearing from where he’d stood just moments before.

Reggie, still slightly disappointed slumped down on the piano stool. He understood of course; after the Orpheum, none of them could really get the idea out of their heads that Caleb might still be out there somewhere planning his revenge. Rather than feel abandoned, Reggie opted to play by himself for a while, not really getting the chance to at any other time. He leant his bass against the piano and, with tentative fingers he started to play the beginning of Edge of Great.

He’d always been able to play piano, but when he’d reached high school and learnt bass, he found it much cooler, especially if he wanted to be part of a band. His mum had taught him on their keyboard at home in the conservatory and he remembers vividly the Sunday afternoons spent with her at the keys. As he’d gotten older, the lessons had begun to slow, arguments with his father taking top priority so that he spent a lot of the time at the keyboard himself instead, turning it up full volume to block out the noise of shouting.

Now, his fingers moving gently across the keys, he could almost feel his mother’s calming presence next to him, and he budged over slightly to allow more room for her imaginary form to sit on the stool as she had always done when he was a kid. Just as he finished, a smile on his face, the door opened slightly and a figure that Reggie recognised popped their head in to look inside.

‘Anyone here?’ Flynn asked, looking around the room. She looked torturously pretty today in a blue jacket and white tartan skirt, a beret perched on top of her hair; how Reggie wished she could see actually see him. ‘Could have sworn I’d heard something.’

Quickly, before she started to think she really was alone and he would be towing the line between awkward and creepy, he began to play once more on the piano. She jumped back in shock at the noise and then suddenly looked at him. Like genuinely looked at him. In the eyes. As if she could actually see him and not just hear the music as she usually would have with Julie not being around.

‘Reggie?’ Flynn said, confused as to why he was here.

‘You can _see_ me?’ Reggie asked excitedly, stopping playing as she stared at him with her hands folded over her chest.

‘Well, not anymore I can’t,’ Flynn said and, after no reply she gestured to the form she hoped was still there. ‘Keep playing.’

‘Oh,’ Reggie said, slightly downtrodden that it wasn’t just that she could see him and that he still had to play. He started at the beginning of Edge of Great again, and she smiled once more, letting her arms dropped to the sides; he took that as a sign that he had become visible to her again.

‘Well, scooch, then,’ Flynn said. Reggie moved over a bit more even though there was already plenty of room on the stool for her to sit. She perched next to him, tossing her hair over her shoulder and watching his fingers dance across the keys as he played. ‘A man of many talents, I see.’

Reggie chuckled and, with his signature charm and a wink he replied, ‘Tell your friends.’

Now, two things usually happened when Reggie attempted to flirt with someone, either; they laugh awkwardly and leave almost immediately after; or they don’t even attempt to hide their disgust and turn on their heels with a look that would make him think they’d be laughing about it with their friends for the rest of the day.

To his surprise, Flynn did neither of those things. Instead, she laughed and rolled her eyes at him as she had in the garage yesterday and his heart soared.

‘You’re such an idiot,’ she said, shaking her head with a smile and looking down at the keys. ‘So, what song are you playing?’

‘Edge of Great,’ he said, remembering he should probably focus on the song again. ‘You know the one we played at the garage party?’ He looked back up at her and was taken aback by how close they were.

‘You mean the one where Luke completely swept Julie off her feet?’ Flynn said and Reggie chuckled. ‘How could I forget?’ Reggie chuckled, remembering the look Luke had given her as he’d wandered over with his impromptu guitar solo.

‘Yeah, it was pretty memorable,’ Reggie said grinning as he got to the bridge. Flynn, picking up at the moment he had gotten to began to sing along, smiling and gripping the edge of the piano stool as she did.

_Oh, I believe_

_That we’re just one dream_

_Away from who we’re meant to be_

_That we’re standing on the edge of great_

Reggie chimed in with the backing vocals as he normally did with Julie, the song becoming a pretty duet between the two until they got to the final lines and Flynn looked up and into his eyes, grinning.

_Running from the past_

_Tripping on the now_

_What is lost can be found_

_It’s obvious_

The song ended and, to his surprise, Flynn still stayed looking at him, neither sure where to go after the end of the song. His eyes drifted to her lips and she smirked until –

The door crashed open and Luke ran in wide-eyed.

‘Reg!’ he exclaimed, the door falling closed behind him. ‘There’s something _really_ wrong with Nick.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luke just had to come and interrupt!
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed! Let me know what you thought and where you think I should take the story :)


	3. A Plan Becomes Clear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reason for Luke's shock becomes clear and he, Flynn and Reggie have a conversation that provides them all with a lot to think on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! Thank you all so much for your kind feedback. This one is a bit of a short, filler chapter, just setting up the next one, but I hope you enjoy!

‘I _told_ you Markus,’ Nick said, exhaling through his nostrils as he poked the man opposite him in the chest. ‘I’ve still got business to sort out here.’

‘I know, sir,’ Markus replied, shying away from Nick who grinned maliciously in return; _yes, let him fear me even in this adolescent form_. ‘But the others are getting restless – they’re worried about the club. Not to mention what Willie’s been telling them all.’

Nick scoffed, shaking his head. He knew he should never have trusted that worm not to blabber to the others; the ideas he may have put into their heads could throw him out of business. ‘I thought I told you to make sure he kept his mouth shut. Do I really have to do _everything_ myself?’

‘N-no, sir,’ Markus replied, his eyes on his shoes.

‘Good,’ Nick said, a malicious grin back on his face at the man’s fear. ‘Now, I’m going to continue on with the plan and _you_ will make sure Willie is still there when I get back.’ A monstrous glint appeared in his eye. ‘I think he and I need to have a little _chat_.’

As he turned on his heel, ready to go back to his class and fake an apology, he almost stopped in his tracks at the sight of the boy standing in the middle of the hall watching the scene. Luke Patterson, the guitarist of the band he had wanted, stood watching him with wide eyes as he made his way down the hall. Of course, despite his shock at realising, he had to pretend that he did not see him; everything was a ruse now. Still, the look of fear in the boy’s eyes was unmistakable; he had clearly heard a significant amount of what ‘Nick’ had said and perhaps was not as foolish as Caleb had previously anticipated.

As Caleb slowly moved down the hall, knowing Luke’s eyes were on him, he straightened up his hair; wondering if that might be enough to maintain the teenage image he wanted to keep up. Clearly, it had not worked as Luke, startled, backed up and ran in the opposite direction. At first, Caleb was slightly concerned that this might set back his plans, but no matter.

With the relationship he had been stirring up with Julie, and the obvious jealousy the guitarist had already exhibited no-one would believe a word he said about ‘Nick’ now. Everyone would think that he had simply invented the story or misread the situation because of his clear infatuation with the girl in question. Yes, all was still going _exactly_ to plan.

Soon, Julie would be swiftly under his arm and therefore much, _much_ easier to manipulate. After the date this evening, which was bound to be a success, there would be more to follow until finally, he would be able to introduce her to _a little club I found out about_. By then of course, the boys will have realised what was going on, just as he wanted them to. There would be no doubt that they would join him then. Not to mention Willie’s involvement, a part in the plan he was particularly proud of; the cherry on the cake, as it were.

Using their greatest weaknesses against them was something of a masterful idea, if Caleb did say so himself.

Now just to pretend for the rest of the day that he was a teenager in the throes of a young romance. Then, after his _successful_ date with Julie to ensure that Willie knew of the rules of their current … arrangement.

The plan would be soon finalised, even if that little skater of his couldn’t stick to the terms of their agreement.

***

Luke had felt slightly guilty about leaving Reggie when they were having some bonding time together, but he’d known he would understand; he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if something happened to Julie.

Wading his way through the now-brimming halls, he had managed to find his way back to Julie’s chemistry classroom, but as he had suspected, she’d already left for her next class. Sighing, Luke had turned on his heel, making his way back to the music room he’d just left. The hallways were clearing now, students having already filed into their second classes of the day and Luke decided to take his time wandering back, hoping Reggie would be alright without him.

Turning left into another corridor, he was shocked to see, however, that the halls weren’t as deserted as he’d previously thought. Even more startling was the fact that it was Nick standing there and that he wasn’t alone; he stood talking animatedly to a man in his 20s, staring at him with venom in his eyes.

Luke’s immediate reaction was to hide, not wanting to be spotted out in the corridor, until he realised, as he often did, that no-one could see him. Moving forward instead, he leaned in to listen to the conversation.

Nick was shaking his head at the other man angrily, saying, ‘I thought I told you to make sure he kept his mouth shut. Do I really have to do _everything_ myself?’

 _Keep his mouth shut?_ Luke wasn’t sure what that might mean but it certainly wouldn’t be anything good. Walking further towards the two, so he could catch more of their conversation, Luke’s breath readily sped up.

‘No-no, sir,’ the other man replied not meeting Nick’s eyes. There was something about the conversation that didn’t sit well with Luke and part of him wished someone else was there with him to prove he wasn’t lying; it didn’t seem like the kind of thing anyone would believe unless they had seen it first-hand.

‘Good,’ Nick said, completely out of sorts. ‘Now, I’m going to continue on with the plan and _you_ will make sure Willie is still there when I get back.’ A monstrous glint appeared in his eye. ‘I think he and I need to have a little _chat_.’

Luke’s mouth opened ajar and his eyes widened in fear. Whoever Nick was, he was keeping something from Julie; _how did he know who Willie was?_ Nothing made sense. Luke’s heart rate sped and before he knew it he was backing up from the scene and running in the opposite direction. He ended up going the longer way around the school, but eventually he ended up back at the music room door, throwing it open and not realising the significance in his haste.

‘Guys!’ he exclaimed, the door falling closed with a bang behind him. ‘There’s something _really_ wrong with Nick.’

It was only now that he noticed the strangeness of the situation; Flynn and Reggie were now standing on opposite sides of the room as if the stool they had clearly been previously sat had given them both an electric shock.

‘Am I … interrupting something?’ Luke asked, sobering up with his eyebrows raised. Reggie and Flynn’s eyes widened as they both mumbled a fragmented response.

‘No, no, we –‘

‘Just rehearsing something –‘

‘I don’t even remember, to be honest –‘

‘It’s a very warm day –‘

Luke just stood looking to and fro from both of them, not sure what was going on but not entirely focused on it either. He shook his head, standing in between them to stop whatever excuse was tumbling out of their mouths.

‘It – it really doesn’t matter,’ Luke said and the two sighed in relief; he didn’t have the energy to wonder what that might mean. ‘The point is, there’s something _seriously_ wrong with Nick.’ He began to explain what had happened, emphasising the part when Nick had mentioned Willie the most, before he stopped for breath and silence fell.

Flynn and Reggie seemed to be having an entire conversation amongst themselves via eye-contact which essentially just consisted of raised eyebrows. Luke huffed in frustration and the two looked at him once more, scepticism etched onto their faces.

‘You don’t believe me, do you?’ Luke said, annoyed.

‘Well …’ Reggie began, stepping towards him. ‘It’s not that we don’t believe you, it’s just that –‘

‘That we believe your jealously might be overriding your ability to think clearly,’ Flynn chimed in. Reggie smiled in thanks. Luke stepped back, shaking his head at the two, his mouth open in shock.

‘ _Jealous?_ ’ He exclaimed. ‘I’m not _jealous_! Name one thing I’d have to be jealous about.’

‘Let’s see,’ Reggie began, extending his arm forward to tick things off on his fingers. ‘How about the fact that Nick’s going on a _date_ with Julie? That he bought her flowers? That she seems to like him? That he’s a living human being who could have a normal, non-ghostly relationship with her?’

Immediately, Luke had regretted his words; he already knew everything he had to be jealous about. It was a constant circle in his mind of which thing he would focus on next but Reggie and Flynn didn’t need to know that.

‘Yes, but what you don’t seem to get is that,’ Luke stepped towards Reggie who’s eyebrows where so far up his forehead they had almost gone into his hair, ready to lie straight through his teeth. ‘Julie and I are _just friends_.’ For some reason, this caused Flynn to burst out into a fit of giggles. Luke turned from Reggie, who was now smirking, and threw up his hands at Flynn, saying in an exasperated tone, ‘ _What_?’

Flynn managed to get her laughter under control to mumble, ‘I’m sorry, it’s nothing ...’ And, with a glare from Luke, she added, ‘ _Really,_ it’s nothing. What are you going to do anyways? You can’t torture it out of me, you’re a ghost, remember?’

This sentence didn’t seem to have the desired effect of making the boys laugh, rather the opposite in fact. Something dawned on the two at the same time, causing them to step back from Flynn, their eyes wide and alarmed.

‘What? Something you boys want to share with the group?’ She asked, wondering what she had said to make them act this way.

‘We’re _ghosts_ ,’ Luke said, his eyes meeting Reggie’s; Flynn began to get irritated.

‘Woah, _what_?’ she replied sarcastically, a hand over her mouth, feigning shock. ‘And here I was thinking –‘

‘No, Flynn, you don’t understand,’ Reggie cut her off, nearing towards her, and the serious tone of his voice scared her slightly. ‘If we’re ghosts and we’re not playing our instruments … then _why can you see us_?’

The sudden realisation that had hit the boys now dawned on Flynn and she, like them, stepped back in shock, swallowing the lump that had risen in her throat.

‘What – what does that …’ Flynn began, not meeting their eyes. ‘What does that mean?’

The boys shook their head in reply. Everything was so unclear they couldn’t even process it themselves. Flynn took their silence to mean they had no clue; a more than accurate interpretation.

‘Well, you guys should leave,’ Flynn said, casting a cautious glance towards Reggie. ‘We don’t know if anyone else can see you or if it’s just me yet. We should test it first before you start wandering the school halls.’ The guys nodded numbly, Luke already out of the door to go get Alex, wondering if he should tell him about what he had heard or if it would only prove to upset him.

Flynn looked back at Reggie once more as Luke left only to see him look in the other direction, as if he hadn’t wanted to be caught staring at her. Without another word, not knowing what to say, Flynn left the room for her next class, leaving Reggie alone. He slumped back down onto the piano stool to wait until Alex was ready to go, running a hand through his hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know what you thought and where the story should go :)


	4. You and Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julie goes on her date and Caleb visits the club again to have a chat with a certain skater.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! This one took me a while but I'm really pleased with how it turned out! Hope you all enjoy it :)

Julie took a deep breath in front of her mirror, trying to desperately calm her nerves. Under any other circumstances, she’d be more excited than nervous; a date with a guy she’s been crushing on since she can remember? Old Julie would have jumped at the opportunity. Only, now, with the band and _Luke_ , she couldn’t help but feel she was doing the wrong thing. After all, she had turned Nick down already because she liked Luke; she’d decided that it wasn’t fair to lead him on. So _why_ had she done a complete switch and just agreed to go out with him anyway?

Of course, the boys had told Julie all about what Luke had supposedly heard but it only caused to make her more nervous; if Luke was reading things _that_ wrong, he was obviously reacting to this much worse than she had thought. Although, the part where Nick had mentioned Willie was slightly suspicious and she knew Luke would never say anything about Willie unless it was the genuine truth; Alex still hadn’t heard from him. Still, there was more than one guy called Willie, Julie was certain, and Luke had clearly just misread the situation. She was sure of it.

The outfit Flynn and Alex had helped her pick out was, she hated to admit, perfect; a white tennis skirt, white blouse and blue denim jacket. Even Julie could see she looked great. It was just a shame she looked so good on a date with someone she didn’t actually like as anything more than a friend. If only –

No. No _if only_ s, no _what if_ s. That particular daydream was never going to become reality so why was Julie’s mind so intent on bringing it up every minute to torture her?

There was a knock at the door downstairs and Julie heard her dad answering it, mumbled voices not exactly carrying up the stairs and to her closed door.

‘Julie!’ Her dad’s voice called from downstairs. ‘Nick’s here!’

‘Coming!’ Julie said as she took another deep breath and clenched her fists, compelling herself to go downstairs, have a lovely evening and then, if Nick decided to ask her out again, let him down kindly. She picked up her handbag from where it lay on her bed and fished out her phone; one message.

 ** _Flynn my Twin <3_**

**_hey girl. I know you’re probably already being whisked away by Nick …_ **

**_but have fun!!_ **

**_and make sure you have mints ;)_ **

Julie hurried to type a reply.

**_Jules <3 _ **

**_Ha ha very funny._ **

**_Well, thanks anyway._ **

**_I’ll let you know how it goes x_ **

****

With that, Julie stowed her phone back into her purse and, with one last fleeting look at herself in the mirror, she swung her door open and strode down the stairs before she could even second-guess herself.

Nick stood at the door talking to her dad and the two of them looked up as Julie stepped into their view. Nick, again, held flowers in his arms which he now extended towards Julie with an awkward smile; she felt her dad’s eyes on the two of them.

‘You look beautiful,’ he said with a grin that didn’t quite meet his eyes. Ray took that as his sign to leave.

‘Well, you two have fun,’ he said, backing away and into the livingroom. Nick let out a nervous laugh and Julie followed suit. Realising she probably shouldn’t take the flowers on her date, she gestured towards the kitchen to get a vase.

Nick followed, looking around the house as if he had never been there before, his eyes roaming over each wall and surface while Julie put the vase under the tap and watched him from the corner of her eye.

‘You have a lovely home,’ Nick said, picking up a photograph of Julie, Ray and Carlos that sat on a side table, a small smile forming on his face. Julie’s eyebrows knitted together because _he’s been here before_.

‘Uh, thanks,’ Julie replied with a nervous laugh. ‘You don’t remember it?’ Some kind of realisation seemed to pass across Nick’s face and, after a moment, he chuckled, shaking his head.

‘Well, yeah, it’s just,’ he took a breath. ‘It’s been so long.’ Julie’s face broke out into a genuine smile. Jeez, she needed to relax; she _knew_ Nick, just because Luke had gotten confused over a conversation he probably shouldn’t have been listening in on didn’t mean Julie should start questioning everything.

She put the flowers in a vase and on a nearby windowsill, letting out a small smile at the sight of them; they really were beautiful. Not dahlia’s again, but white roses; a very pretty addition to her windowsill.

‘They’re supposed to symbolise young romance,’ Nick said awkwardly, and Julie’s eyes widened. She secretly knew that, specifically, they symbolised young _love_ but was quite glad Nick had decided to alter the meaning slightly. When she didn’t say anything, he said, ‘You ready to go?’

Nick opened the door for her as they left and it was just a short walk to the restaurant. Julie had to admit, it was slightly more extravagant than she had expected of a first date, especially at their age; most people went to the cinema or bowling, not a four-star restaurant in the best part of town. Still, she wasn’t going to complain – though she couldn’t help imagining the idea of her and a certain ghost boy sitting in a dark movie theatre.

They sat at a table with red gingham tablecloth and a rose in perched in the middle and as she sat down, Julie noticed the abundance of other, much older, couples seated around them, all with their hands intwined and a floaty look about them, as if they were made of air.

‘What do you think?’ Nick asked, placing the napkin across his lap in a fashion that made Julie think he had done it many times before.

‘It’s –‘ Julie began, when suddenly her eye caught a party in a booth in the corner where three ghosts sat with someone in a black hoodie, cap thrown on their head in an effort to not attract attention, ‘- lovely.’ The last part was said through gritted teeth as she made eye-contact with Alex from across the room. He anxiously raised his hand and nudged Luke who sat next to him and raised his head to meet her eyes after the third slap from Alex.

He looked guilty; _good, he should be_.

‘Is something wrong, Julie?’ Nick asked, looking around to where she had been sending a mighty death-glare. Fortunately, as Julie had to remind herself, all that he would see would be the back of the hooded figure’s head; this figure, as Julie guessed, was Flynn, of course, who pretended to be looking at the menu as the others looked towards their table.

‘Oh, uh,’ Julie said, facing Nick once more and meeting his eyes. ‘No, no, nothing, just … nervous, I guess.’ Of course, that was partially true, so Nick didn’t need to know that that wasn’t the cause of her sudden distraction.

‘Ah,’ Nick replied and, in a plot twist, he grasped her hand from where it sat on the side of the table, holding it in his. Julie’s heart was pounding in her ears. ‘Well don’t be, it’s only me.’ He gave her a kind smile, and she tried not to pay attention to the brawl that was happening in the corner of her eye; two of the boys holding the other back, from what she could see. Nick held her hand for the rest of the time until a waiter came to ask for their order. After they were done, he’d attempted to do the same, sliding his hand back along the table, but Julie swiftly put her hand in her lap, pretending she hadn’t noticed his crestfallen expression.

Dinner went on relatively well to Julie’s surprise, with, thankfully, no more hand-holding. Of course, that didn’t mean she couldn’t send multiple glares across the room towards the others, Alex sending her multiple apologetic looks in reply.

When they got up to leave, Luke sent the others an urgent look and they all turned to watch them go, Julie turning as Nick was thanking the waiter to make a swiping motion with her thumb over her throat that clearly read; _you’re_ all _dead_.

The walk home was a slightly awkward one, Julie willing herself not to shiver or give Nick the impression he should give her his jacket and she had to keep in a sigh of relief when they made it back to her door.

‘Well, thank you for dinner,’ Julie said shyly, and Nick let out an airly laugh, smiling back at her.

‘You’re welcome,’ he replied, stepping away from her porch as she opened the door. ‘See you tomorrow.’ And with that, he turned and left, leaving Julie to rest her head against the door frame.

Her night, however, was far from over. Once she had seen Nick around the corner of her street, disappearing into the night, she swiftly closed the door and, knowing they wouldn’t be there just yet, made her way angrily to the garage.

Trying to calm herself, Julie sat cross-legged on the couch to wait for them, rehearsing what she was going to say. It didn’t take them long to arrive back. Whatever conversation they may have been having, it stopped abruptly as the four of them set eyes on Julie. She stood and they watched with bated breath, each of them prepared for an outroar.

‘I just have _one_ ‘ - Julie held up a finger – ‘question. I will ask each of you in turn and I want you to answer it truthfully.’ She took a deep breath through her nostrils and the other’s didn’t even dare move. ‘ _Why_?’ She pointed to Flynn on the left to answer first.

‘We were worried, Jules,’ Flynn said, her eyebrows knitting together; the other’s murmured their agreement. ‘After what Luke had said, we just wanted to make sure you were okay.’ She looked down at her shoes. ‘I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.’

‘Oh, don’t pull that card,’ Julie scoffed, throwing her hands in the air. ‘You know I _invented_ pulling that card.’ Flynn’s shoulders slumped in defeat.

‘Ah, yeah,’ she said with a sigh. Julie then looked to Reggie standing next to her.

‘I just really like dates,’ Reggie said, shrugging his shoulders. ‘The whole atmosphere, you know?’ Alex nudged him in the arm. ‘Oh! And I was worried … yeah, that too.’ Satisfied, and knowing she’d gotten an honest answer, she turned to Alex who was wringing his hands. She decided to forgive him immediately.

‘Well, I was worried,’ Alex said, not meeting her eyes. ‘But also the others were going and I didn’t want to be left out.’ Not wanting him to feel any more guilty for something that, she suspected, was not his fault, Julie gave him a small smile. Alex swallowed the lump in his throat and immediately let out a sigh of relief.

‘And _you_?’ Julie said, finally turning to Luke at the end, her eyes narrowed. She knew the other’s reasoning for going was fair, but she had been surprised that Luke hadn’t intervened in the date at all, as she had previously thought he would. Luke stepped forward slightly from the group and the others took that as a sign to give the two a bit of space, all of them suddenly taking a great interest in Alex’s drum kit on the other side of the room.

‘Jules, you’ve gotta believe me,’ Luke said, sincerity burning through his words. ‘I just couldn’t get the idea out of my head that something wasn’t right – I _had_ to make sure you were okay.’ He took her small hands in his large, calloused ones, massaging the ridge of her knuckles as he did so; Julie’s breath caught in her throat.

Julie shook her head at him, but she knew she’d already forgiven the whole evening; it _had_ livened things up, after all.

‘You’ll be the death of me, Luke Patterson,’ she said, but he grinned happily in reply, giving her that heart-stopping, lopsided grin of his. Still, there was something that made Julie think he had something else to say and she raised an eyebrow at him.

‘Just,’ Luke said, trying to find the words, his face warping into one of sincerity as he didn’t meet her eyes. ‘Did you kiss him goodnight?’ Julie’s shoulders relaxed and she somehow managed to keep herself from grinning.

‘Kiss on the first date?’ She gasped sarcastically, knowing he would understand. ‘What kind of woman do you take me for, Patterson?’ Luke’s face broke out into a wide smile and he bit his lip, meeting her eyes.

‘Still, guys,’ Julie said, looking past Luke to the others who all looked up from the drums, back to attention, ‘ _boundaries_.’

***

Caleb waved happily to Julie who stood at her door waiting for him to leave. As he turned, the false smile he had worked so hard to maintain throughout the whole evening immediately disappeared, as if someone had taken a cloth and wiped it clean from his face.

Now to make his way back to the club.

It had been a while since his last visit so it wasn’t particularly surprised that the others had begun to get antsy, particularly with William amongst them. Originally, after the boy blatantly went against his word, Caleb had planned to rid him of this world immediately; that was before he’d come to his senses. What he hadn’t considered was how William’s mere existence could tip the scales in his favour.

It was obvious from the first moment that the band had stepped into the club that there was something more than friendship going on between young William and the little drummer boy. Now, as his first plan had failed, it was finally time to put William to some use after all this time having his soul in his possession.

The club entrance shone like a beacon in the moonlight and a grin spread across Caleb’s adolescent face. As he entered, his façade faded and, though still possessing the boy, his appearance was that of his usual self; as Caleb passed the large mirror in the hall, he was finally able to smile back at his reflection.

The evening’s party was in full swing as to be expected, even without him there, yet many who visited nightly stood up to greet him as he entered, questioning as to where he had been.

‘Oh, just off doing some business transactions, Miss White,’ he said, shaking the woman’s hand and covering hers with his own. ‘You know how it is.’ He let out a charismatic laugh before letting go of her hand and moving through the throng of people to the stage where he took a moment to greet everyone.

‘What a pleasure it is to see all of your smiling faces, again!’ He exclaimed to the room who applauded and whooped from the audience. ‘I hope you’re all enjoying your evenings, now to leave it to my magnificent dancers to continue entertaining you!’ With a flourish, the dancers appeared in front of them all and a gasp resounded throughout the room leaving Caleb to swiftly leave the stage and cock his head towards one of the performers, asking, ‘Is he in my office?’

‘Sent him up ten minutes ago, sir,’ the man replied, nodding his head ferociously. Caleb thanked him, moving further backstage and ascending the stairs to his office.

As promised, the boy sat with his back turned to him, facing his large oak desk and, behind that, the grand French windows that looked out on the city. William turned around as he walked in, his face angry and his jaw set as he glared at Caleb who, locking the door behind him, wandered through the room and sat down at his desk with a sigh, throwing his legs up onto the table.

‘Why have you brought me here?’ William asked immediately, his leg bouncing restlessly where he sat. ‘You know how I feel about this already.’

‘Now, now, William,’ Caleb replied, his voice relaxed and suave. ‘That’s no way to greet me, is it?’

‘ _Let me go_ ,’ the boy pleaded angrily.

‘William,’ Caleb said with a hint of sympathy in his tone. ‘I’ve told you already that there’s no chance of seeing him again; they’ve passed on. You must move on from him and to greater things.’ Willie bit his lip, looking down at his hands as he kneaded them in his lap, an expression that showed he had hoped Caleb had been lying.

‘What if …’ William said, his voice barely above a whisper before he took a shaky breath, vulnerability pouring out of him, now. ‘What if I don’t _want_ to move on? What – what if I don’t want an afterlife without him?’ Caleb gave him a sympathetic smile, though it was one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He stood from his chair and moved to perch on the side of his desk, his body angled towards William.

‘You know, William, I didn’t get to where I am now by giving up at the first sign of failure. It took years for me to make a name for myself; _years_ of hard work, rejection, not to mention my fair share of heartbreak.’ William swallowed a lump that had risen in his throat. ‘But I moved on, I learnt from the experience; as you should too.

‘With you, William, this club could be unstoppable; _you_ can be my right-hand man.’

‘I-‘ William began, but Caleb shushed him, beginning to sing as he sat on the corner of his desk, one leg draped over the other as he did so. 

_‘_ _Now, boy I know what you’re thinkin’_

_In this moment_

_I know what you’re drinking_

_That cup of life_

_But let me tell you now,_

_The man you really need is me_

_Listen, boy, you know you should_

_Caleb only wants you free’_

With a start, Caleb stood from his seat as a beat struck up and, grabbing William’s arm, spun him round to face an illusion he created. 

‘ _Remember when I picked up first_

_Way back then’_

Caleb wrapped a shoulder around him as, with a flourish of his hand, the man made the memory of William’s first arrival a reality once more, the image of the boy in front of the two, nervous and alone as he looked around Caleb’s office as he hand all those years ago.

_‘You were just a cold and lonely_

_Young man_

_But guess what_

_I lifted you up, dusted you off_

_Brought you here,’_

Past-Caleb in stunning magenta robes appeared in front of the two of them, embracing William like an old friend, even though it was the first time they met. In a flash, William had been transformed, his hair slicked back and a blazer being thrown over his shoulders, Caleb leading him out his office and down the stairs as he had done every night since. Present Caleb whispered in the real William’s ear as the boy looked on at the scene, his expression pained.

_‘Now listen is that really a man_

_You can’t stand to be near?’_

Caleb turned William back to face him, forcing his eyes to meet his; they did, reluctantly.

_‘You and me, kid_

_You and me_

_We could be legends_

_You and me, kid_

_You and me_

_Don’t listen to what they put in your head’_

He tapped the side of William’s head, the boy completely under the spell now, dazed and unsure of what to do.

_‘You and me, kid_

_You and me_

_Just as we planned for_

_I can give you all you’ve wanted_

_Just look at where you’ve already been led’_

Caleb spun William around and forced him to look outside of the expansive windows. Fireworks blazed up in the sky along with the music and the boy gasped, not realising it was all an illusion; Caleb smiled menacingly before pushing William towards his office door.

_‘Now I know times have been rough for you_

_Never with a friend_

_And I know that’s gotta be tough for you_

_In the end’_

His hands pushed William down the stairs and the boy stumbled until he reached the bottom where, arm around his shoulder, Caleb pulled him nearer and began to walk with him backstage. In a wave of his hand, Alex became a reality once more; standing in front of the two of them in his pink suit as he had done on the night they played at the Orpheum.

William gasped, wrenching himself out of Caleb’s grip and going to hug the boy, but he vanished under his touch. Alex appeared again at the drum kit, playing as he had when he was under Caleb’s spell and William stepped back under the man’s arm, feeling neglected.

_‘But listen here_

_My friend so near_

_It pains me to have to say,_

_But isn’t it worth simply_

_Calling a day_

_Ain’t it really not worth the time’_

The music slowed slightly as Alex looked over at the two of them, giving William a sad look before he vanished along with his drum kit. Caleb sang in the boy’s ear.

_‘If Alex wanted you wouldn’t he have stayed behind?’_

He turned William to face him once more, the boy’s eyes downcast and saddened; the perfect ingredients for a doting puppet.

_‘Now I know you’re feelin down_

_Afterlife’s given you a frown_

_Can’t get that drummer boy out of your mind’_

Images of Alex whirred up around them and William didn’t take the time to wonder how Caleb had all of these memories; Alex’s face when they first met; his laugh in the museum; the last look he gave William before he pulled him in for a hug. Caleb swiftly batted these memories away and they faded into the air.

_‘But listen Will,_

_Unlike that pill_

_Here’s a thrill that would never leave you behind’_

Swiftly, Caleb pushed Willie forward until they were no longer backstage but in the middle of the performance, the eyes of the audience watching them intently. The beat picked up even further and with a wave of Caleb’s hand, dancers appeared on the floor in front of them, moving to the beat in vibrant and extravagant costumes.

_‘You and me, kid_

_You and me!_

_We could be something’_

Caleb began to dance, taking William’s hand and spinning him towards two other male dancers who took him in their arms immediately, taking his arms and dancing across the floor.

_‘You and me, kid_

_You and me_

_Let’s show him what you’re worth’_

Alex’s image appeared amongst the dancers, taunting him before disappearing into the air. The dancers pushed him back towards Caleb who put an arm around him once more.

_‘And when we’re through_

_Just watch what he’ll do_

_When you leave him to_

_Just what he did to you’_

‘So,’ Caleb said as the music continued in the background. ‘What’s it going to be, William?’ The boy looked dejected and torn, looking for something – _someone_ – amongst the audience before turning back to Caleb, defeated.

‘I’ll do it.’

Caleb’s face broke into an award-winning smile as William began to sing with him; now, with the boy on his side and Julie slowly falling into his trap, there’s no way Sunset Curve will slip out of his grasp again.

_‘Oh you and me,_

_Yeah you and me_

_Yeah, it’s gonna be_

_You and me_

_Just you_

_And_

_Me.’_

***

Alex sat lying in his spot in the loft, staring at the ceiling, his back against a few pillows Julie had left for him, his mind hazy and unfocused.

None of them had been able to sleep; just a side effect of being ghosts, they supposed. Most of the time, none of them minded too much. Not having to sleep only meant more time to be spent together or, in Luke’s case, writing, and they savoured every moment they had. Only, tonight, Alex hadn’t much felt like sitting with the other two talking until sunrise. Actually, if he was being honest, most nights recently he had wanted to be alone with his thoughts and the other two, knowing how Alex needed space a lot of the time, left him to it, knowing if he needed anything he would ask.

His thoughts most commonly drifted to a particular skater he hadn’t been able to lodge out of his mind; the image of Willie the last time he had seen him, and the first, and the second, and the time he’d been wearing that blazer with his hair up, was engraved on the back of Alex’s eyelids so that every time he closed his eyes he was there. Alex rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands, willing himself to think about anything and everything else.

He didn’t even know if Willie was still … He’d said that Caleb had owned his soul, after all. Which was why he was willing himself not to even think about it.

Easier said than done.

‘ _I’d do anything for you_ ,’ he’d said. Alex’s heart felt like it might burst from the pain of it; was he still out there? And if he was, was he still entrapped by Caleb Covington and his club?

Alex rolled over onto his side, taking unsteady breaths as he thanked every and any god for bringing that ghostly, skateboard-loving boy to him and then, with a deep pain in his chest that felt like he might be dying twice over, prayed for them to bring him back.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, let me know what you think! What should happen next?


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